Definition of Percabeth
by pipermclean-beautyqueen
Summary: Perfection. Strength. Forgiveness. Hope. Love. This is the definition of Percabeth. Series of one shots on our favourite PJO couple.
1. Define Perfection

**Hey guys :) I know, I haven't updated either of my stories for a while and now I'm starting this. I promise, I'll update at least one of them tomorrow or the day after. The House of Hades and the Silver Owl will _hopefully_ start getting updated once a week again. This one shot thing is a random idea I got that I wanted to try out. If you like it, tell me by leaving a review and there will be more one shots coming soon :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO, in case that wasn't already obvious. The definition is from . I just reworded it.**

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_Perfection (n): the state of being perfect_

_"No one's perfect, not even the gods."_

* * *

Percy stared at the numbers on the page, hoping they would somehow magically solve the equations by themselves. But no matter how long he stared, it was starting to become pretty clear that it wasn't going to happen.

This summer, his mom thought it would be best for him to catch up on his schoolwork. Sally Jackson used the very convincing argument of '_You can't live with me forever. You need to get out there and get a job_.' That meant spending his only months free from school doing homework. Oh, the joy.

Growing tired of squirming around in his seat, Percy released the death grip he had on his pencil and walked over to his bed. When he first came to camp, one reason he chose this bed instead of the others was that it was right by the window. He pulled open the blinds and looked outside.

It was raining. Percy leaned on the cool glass of the window, listening to the rhythmic pounding of the raindrops. None of the campers were used to getting rain in the summer months. Chiron thought we needed a _change in the atmosphere_ and told Dionysus to let in the rain, but to not let it get out of control.

Dionysus must have not heard the "out of control" part, because the rain was starting to fall like crazy, slamming into the window faster and faster. The campers that decided to brave the rain were now running back to the safety of the cabins. Lightning flashed through the sky, lighting up the shadows, and was soon followed by a rumble of thunder.

The lights were on in all the cabins. Everyone complained when Chiron said it would rain in the camp, but at least they weren't completely alone during the storm. They, at least, had their half-siblings. They would all be reading together, fighting each other, stealing from each other, and the other typical things each cabin does.

He sighed and went back to his homework. At least math was here to keep him company.

Another flash of lightning caused him to jump. The fact that Zeus doesn't exactly like him didn't make this storm all that enjoyable. Storms were Zeus's territory. The ocean was more his thing.

No one would be outside in that weather. That was why he was so surprised to hear a knock at the door. "Who is it?" he yelled.

"Just come open the door Seaweed Brain. It's freezing out here!"

Smiling, he stood up. Of course, only she would come visit him during the camps first -and probably last- thunderstorm. He opened the door to see a very wet and very angry Annabeth.

"What took you so long?" she asked, sounding annoyed. She ran inside, nearly knocking him over, and squeezed the water out of her hair.

"Hey! I'm not allowed to make a mess in your cabin. How come you get to make a mess here?" Percy pointed to the puddle of water she was making on the ground.

Annabeth shrugged. "You can easily clean this up. Dry me off while you're at it."

Rolling his eyes, he sat down on his bed and patted the space beside him, motioning to Annabeth to sit down. He watched her golden curls flop up and down as she did.

"You know, you could dry me off now. I'm still waiting." He found himself staring into her grey eyes. "What is it?" Annabeth asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You're staring at me right now. It's kind of creepy." He immediately looked away, staring at everything except her. He felt his cheeks starting to grow warm.

"Uh, is it hot in here or is it just me?" Percy asked, trying to say anything hoping it would make her forget what had just happened. At least salvage the few seconds they had before he made everything awkward.

Annabeth laughed. "I think it's just you. I'm freezing," she said, gesturing at her wet clothes.

"You're so perfect," Percy blurted out without thinking. Annabeth stared at him questioningly, and he felt his already red cheeks growing redder. He probably just embarrassed himself in front of her. Neither of them said anything, and the silence began to sound awkwardly loud. "I mean," Percy said, "you're good at everything. Not to mention you're beautiful."

He made a mental note to punch himself in the face after Annabeth left. He made an already awkward situation worse. Why couldn't he learn to think before he speaks?

He watched Annabeth nervously, waiting for her reaction. To his relief, a smile gradually started to grow on her lips. "That's sweet of you to say, but we both know nobody's perfect. Everyone has flaws. Remember what I told you about my fatal flaw, hubris? No one's perfect, not even the gods."

What Annabeth said shocked him. _Not even the gods._ Only Annabeth would have the guts to say that. But looking at how the Poseidon cabin hadn't gotten struck by lightning yet, he figured Zeus was either too busy with the storm to care about what she had to say or suddenly became deaf.

He did have to agree with her though. Percy, more than anyone else, knew just how imperfect the gods could be.

He felt someone nudge him gently on his arm. He looked up to see Annabeth, waiting for his to say something. "Nobody's perfect," he finally agreed, "but you're the closest to it."

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**What did you think? Should I continue with this? Tell me what you thought about this in your review :)**


	2. Define Fate

**Hey everyone! Thanks to everyone that followed and/or favourited this. And the reviews, I love reading them :) Enjoy the second one shot of ****_Definition of Percabeth_****, though this isn't exactly the most interesting, funny, or exciting one shot. This might be OOC. AU**

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_Fate (n): something that unavoidably befalls a person_

_"That's the thing with fate. You don't get to control what happens. You see what fate gives you and deal with it."_

* * *

I never really thought about her much. I don't think anyone ever did.

She was pretty, I couldn't deny that. When she first started school at Goode High, every guy was after her. It didn't take them long to figure out that she had no interest in dating. Soon, she faded into the background.

As the school's nerd, the Einsteinette, she was the type of person who cared much more about getting straight A's then hanging out with friends. That's why I always figured when she disappeared everyday at lunch, she was in the library studying.

I was wrong.

I never meant to bump into her that day. I never meant to even talk to her. But that's the thing with fate. You don't get to control what happens. You see what fate gives you and deal with it.

"Percy!" I spun around to see Grover running up to me.

"Hey dude," I said. Grover and I had been best friends since we were babies. Maybe even before that. Our moms met at some pregnant women's group, and were immediately friends.

Panting, Grover finally caught up to me. "Hey. You have English with Ms. Gottschalk after lunch, right?" he asked. When I nodded, he added, "You're going to have to make up a two minute presentation on the spot about a person that inspires you."

I rolled my eyes, feeling slightly annoyed. Ms. Gottschalk enjoyed having us make up presentations on the spot, then failing us for doing horribly. "Thanks for the warning," I said.

"No problem. Just remember to talk about me, alright?" Grover said. When he saw me staring at him, he laughed and said, "Perce, I'm kidding. Go ahead and talk about your mom or something." He was about to say more when he checked his watch and groaned. "I have to go now. I was supposed to meet Juniper ten minutes ago, and you know how much she hates it when I'm late. See you later!" he yelled as he ran off, not waiting for a reply.

I shrugged it off and started planning my presentation for English class. I was hoping doing well on this presentation would bring my mark up, since I was pretty much failing. Dyslexia and ADHD didn't help much.

I walked around the school mindlessly, dreading the moment when the bell would ring, ending my lunch period. Distracted by my English presentation, I didn't notice her until we ran into each other.

Unfortunately for me, she was carrying a camera. Before you ask, _What's wrong with that?_, I'll tell you. The flash was on. When I bumped into her, she accidentally stepped on my foot and took a picture of me and the camera flashed in my face, temporarily blinding me.

"Sorry," she said quietly. Without another word, she walked around me and continued down the hall.

For the next three minutes and twenty-six seconds left before English, I was left speechless. Later on, I wanted to kill myself for not saying anything back to her. But at that moment, I had one persistent thought in my mind and that one thought only.

I never knew her eyes were so grey.

* * *

I flunked the English presentation. No surprise there. I barely managed to stutter some words about Grover since I really couldn't think of any other person. It went something like, "Grover inspires me because he's awesome. He's really awesome and… yeah. He's awesome." Apparently, I needed more 'concrete reasons' and 'synonyms or other new words to replace _awesome_'.

The next morning, I left Grover as soon as I got off the school bus. "I have to go do something important. You know, homework and stuff since I'm falling behind. I'll see you later," I said to him. He didn't mind. He had Juniper.

It didn't take me long to find her. She was sitting on a bench, taking a picture of a bird. I walked up to her, trying to seem as casual as I could. I walked right past her, then turned back to her looking as surprised as I could to see her, saying, "Oh, hey! I didn't even notice you were here."

She nodded, not paying any attention to me. "So," I said, sitting down beside her, "you're a photographer?" When she didn't answer, I started rambling. "Well you seem to always be carrying your camera around. Plus you took a picture of me yesterday. That's fine though, I know it was an accident. I guess it's-"

"It's just a hobby," she cut me off, shrugging. But for the first time, I saw a glimmer of a smile on her face instead of a stony glare.

Just then, the bell rang. She stood up, gathering her books, and ran to the door. This time, I shouted out to her as she was leaving.

"Wait!" I yelled. "What's your name?"

She didn't turn around. But while all the other students were rushing inside, she stopped walking. She just stood still as I waited for an answer. "Annabeth Chase," she finally said. I almost missed it in the clamour of the other students. Then, she hurried inside.

_Annabeth_. The most beautiful name I've ever heard.

* * *

I searched for her again at lunch, this time determined to have a complete conversation with her. She was behind the school, a place most students don't usually spend their lunch periods at. Again, she was taking pictures.

"Hey Annabeth," I said.

She didn't smile like she did before, but at least she wasn't glaring at me like she does to everyone else. "You know my name," she said, not taking her eyes off her camera, "but I believe I never got yours."

I smiled, feeling like it was the first time she was actually talking to me. "Percy. My name's Percy Jackson."

That's how the two of us spent our lunch periods the next few months. While Grover was off on some date with Juniper, Annabeth and I chatted in our little hideaway behind the school. She never said much at first; she was more of a listener. But little by little, she started speaking. I had become friends with the girl deemed 'unreachable'.

One day, I asked her to tell me about herself. "Things you like, things you hate, just anything," I explained. She looked at me curiously, but didn't ask why.

"My favourite colour is grey. My favourite animal is the owl. My favourite flowers are Olympic harebells. I hate cheese, except on pizza. I never eat sandwiches without crust. Photography is my hobby, but I also love studying architecture. That's what I want to be when I'm older, an architect."

Olympic harebells? Trust Annabeth to come up with something strange like that instead of choosing the usual 'roses' or 'lilies'. I have to remember that.

That was the day I knew. I had felt it for a few weeks already, but I wasn't sure. At that moment though, while she was listing off random facts about herself, I was certain. I was in love with Annabeth Chase.

I never asked her out. From what I knew, she never dated anyone before and didn't plan on starting. I would have to settle for just being her friend.

As the weeks progressed, the two of us got closer. She didn't love me like I loved her though. She said so herself that I was like a brother to her. Meekly, I replied that she was a sister to me. I didn't tell her that I wished she could be so much more.

Spending so much time with Annabeth meant that I started learning more about her. _Number one: she was terrified of spiders_.

School had just ended and we were walking home together. Grover, who was the only one who knew about my feelings toward Annabeth, usually walked with us. On that day however, he was stuck at home with the flu.

I was blabbing about anything that came to mind, probably embarrassing myself, while Annabeth listened. Just the usual.

Suddenly, Annabeth screamed, making me wince. That girl has some strong lungs. Her eyes grew wide, and her tanned face grew paler than I had ever seen it before. Gripping my hand, she pointed at the ground in front of her. I looked to see what she was screaming about.

"A spider?" I asked her. "You're scared of spiders?"

"Kill it!" she screamed again, quickly backing away from the spider like it carried a disease.

"Annabeth, you can stop screaming. People are starting to stare."

"Kill it!"

Seeing no other option, I walked up to the spider and stepped on it. I stomped a bit harder, just to make sure it's dead. I looked back at Annabeth, whose nose was scrunched up in disgust. "That's disgusting," she said.

_Number two: she was very close to her mom_.

I dreamed I was being attacked by evil vibrating cellphones. One of them, the one in the pink Hello Kitty phone case, was about to eat me. Of course, I woke up to find my phone vibrating. I quickly checked my alarm clock before grabbing my phone. 3:44 a.m.

"Hello," I said drowsily, not bothering to check who was calling.

"Percy?" I heard Annabeth whisper. As soon as I heard her voice, I sat up, no longer sleepy. "Can you come over? Like, right now?"

"Annabeth, it's nearly 4 in the morning," I said. "We'll see each other at school on Monday."

"Percy…" her voice trailed off, and for the first time, I realized just how weak she sounded. Annabeth never sounds weak. "I need you."

Sighing, I said, "I'll be right there." Not bothering to change, I raced out the back door –the front door tended to creak loudly whenever someone opened it- and ran to Annabeth's apartment. The cold night air stung my face and it was hard to run through the crowded New York City streets, but I managed.

It wasn't the first time I've been there, and I knew how to get in. At least into Annabeth's room, if she was there to let me in. I climbed the tree in her backyard all the way up to her small balcony, where Annabeth was waiting. I took one good look at her and had no idea what to do.

I had never seen her like that before. Her face was flushed from crying, and her hair looked like it hadn't been brushed since the ancient Ms. Gottschalk was born, but what scared me most were her eyes. The lively look in her beautiful eyes were gone. Rimmed with red, all I saw in them was pain.

"What happened," I asked in a hushed tone. I had no idea what I was whispering. But I knew that if whatever happened made Annabeth cry, I knew it was real bad.

Her voice seemed caught in her throat as she tried to form words. "My mom," she managed to choke out. I couldn't understand anything else she said, but I managed to catch the word 'dead'.

Not knowing what to say, I just stood there awkwardly until I felt like I had to do _something_. So I wrapped my arms around her protectively as she cried. She cried as if the entire world and all the beautiful things it contained had come to an end. In a way, I guess that was true. Her mom was her world.

_Number three: her hugs could make almost anything better_.

"I don't get it."

Annabeth was trying to help me with my math. I probably said those four words at least thirty times the past hour. As Annabeth continued to explain exactly how the formula worked, I stared blankly at my homework, trying to follow along. I couldn't help getting distracted.

"It's not my fault you know," I said, getting frustrated that Annabeth could do this so easily and I couldn't.

"What's not your fault?" she asked.

"That I can't concentrate on my math. It's all your fault."

"My fault," she said, looking amused. "Would you mind explaining how it's my fault?"

Her curls were like golden strands of sunlight. They bounced up and down as she turned her head to face me. Her grey eyes seemed intimidating at first glance, but a closer look showed that they sparkled with life more than anyone else's. "You look too beautiful today," I said simply. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around me in a quick, but tight hug.

"Back to work now," she said. The smile stayed on her face for the rest of the day. A smile stayed on my face as well. Somehow, she made math a little more bearable.

* * *

"Annabeth, do you believe in fate?" I asked her.

She laughed and said, "Is my egg salad sandwich that bad? You have to ask me deep questions to stall eating it?" I was at Annabeth's house, and after I whined about being hungry for hours, she finally caved and made me some food.

I shook my head and bit into the sandwich. "Jus ansuh," I said with my mouth full of egg salad.

She sat down on the couch beside me. "I guess. Why?"

I took a deep breath and gulped. This was it. This would be the moment where I would confess how I really felt.

"Because fate brought me to the girl I love."

Nervously, I waited for her reaction. After what felt like an eternity of silence, she asked without meeting my eyes, "Who is it? That is, if you don't mind me asking. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Here's a hint. Her favourite colour is grey. Her favourite animal is the owl. Her favourite flowers are Olympic harebells. She hates cheese, except on pizza. She never eats sandwiches without crust. Photography is her hobby, but she also loves studying architecture."

I put down my sandwich and held her hands tightly. "Annabeth Chase, I love you. Will you be my girlfriend?"

* * *

**Sorry, that was pretty boring. I promise I'll try to make the next one more exciting. At least this one was more than twice as long as ****_Define Perfection_****.**

**Are there any one shots you guys want to request? Eternity, grief, surprises, smiles, anything?**


	3. Define Strength

**A couple of you asked me to continue _Define Fate_, but I also want to keep the _Definition of Percabeth_ all one shots. This one shot is similar to _Define Fate_: they're all human, they go to Goode High, Percy and Annabeth walk home together, Annabeth's mom died, etc. You can think of this as a continuation if you want :)**

**This might be OOC and maybe a tiny bit boring at the beginning. After that, it gets kind of sad… Yeah, this isn't one of those happy one shots. It's also pretty long…**

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_Strength (n): the state of being strong; moral power, firmness, or courage_

_"I'll be strong. I'll fight this for you."_

* * *

I always knew. He didn't even have to tell me. We were boyfriend and girlfriend after all. I always knew that he would be there for me whenever I needed him. And through good times and bad, he always was.

But I never imagined that he would have to help me through something this big. I definitely didn't expect it to be something this bad.

Most people's lives can be divided into two parts: the Before and the After. There's always one major event that changes not only the way you've been living life before, but also who you are. It teaches you things you never thought you would learn. There's before and after that event.

I would say my life has two Before and After events. The first, and the more important, was meeting Percy. Meeting Percy taught me _love_. But there's one other event. I don't consider it as important and it wasn't all that enjoyable, but it's definitely worth mentioning. This is the story of the Before and After event that taught me _strength_.

* * *

The shrill ringing of the school bell jolted me from my sleep. Groaning, I realized I had fallen asleep in class again. First chemistry, now English. But if Ms. Gottschalk noticed I was asleep, she didn't show it. Then again, half the class always sleeps in English. It was always one big sleepover.

I raced out of class before I could get trampled by the stampede of students eager to get home. Squeezing my way through the crowds, I finally got to my locker. Making a mental list of all my homework, I grabbed all the textbooks I needed and slammed my locker shut. The chatting around me stopped as everyone turned to stare, but the silence didn't last long. It never does.

"What's wrong?" I looked up to see Percy leaning against the wall. His normally messy black hair was noticeably more tangled than usual. His face glistened with sweat and he was in a desperate need of a shower. Obviously, he just came from gym.

Normally, I would be happy to see him. Maybe even squeal and jump into his arms. Sure, that's not the normal Annabeth Chase, but we haven't been dating for long. For now, I could be as infatuated as I wanted.

Today wasn't one of those days. "What are you doing here?" I snapped, shoving past him to get to the door. "And go take a shower," I added.

Percy ran after me, grabbing my shoulders to stop me from getting away. "I always meet you at your locker so we can walk home together," he said. His forehead creased with worry. "Is something wrong? Did something happen in class? If someone hurt you, I swear I'll-"

I sighed, and cut him off, rambling about my never-ending list of homework. Maybe I just needed someone to complain to. Percy listened patiently as I talked.

When I finally finished, he said, "You'll do fine. You can usually handle twice as much homework easily." Giving me a grin, he continued, "And I promise I'll take a shower as soon as I get home." Wrapping his arms around me, he gave me a quick kiss on my forehead.

"You're right," I agreed, trying to smile. My attempt faded though when I saw the frown on his face.

"Do you feel alright?" He extended a hand and rested it against my forehead. I swatted it away. It felt like ice against my head. "You're burning up!"

"I probably need some sleep, that's all." He shook his head, the nest of black hair on his head flopping wildly, and he opened his mouth to give another argument. "I'm really tired. I stayed up last night to finish my homework. I'm pretty sure that's what's wrong," I said quickly before he could say anything. "Can we just go now?" Percy nodded uncertainly, but didn't say anything about it the entire walk home. We walked in silence. Somehow, I would have preferred him arguing.

That night was when the first hints were starting to show up. I was nearing the end of my second Before. The After was coming up far too soon.

Moonlight was streaming through my windows into my dark room when I suddenly woke up drenched in a cold sweat. I tried to sit up, but soon slumped back down in defeat, shaking uncontrollably. I clutched my head with my hands as I was overcome by a wave of dizziness.

"Mom!" I called out, starting to panic, then immediately clamped a hand over my mouth. But it was too late. I heard the loud thumping footsteps running to my room. My door flung open, revealing my dad wearing nothing but his boxers.

"Annabeth?" he asked. "Did you have another nightmare?"

I sighed, shaking my head. Four months ago, my mom was hit by a drunk driver. She died on impact. Everyone said it was better that way. My dad, friends, the doctors, everyone. She felt nothing. No pain. But I knew she did feel something.

Right before she died.

She felt fear.

"Dad, I haven't had one in a month. Don't worry," I said.

He nodded, but went to turn on the lights and sat down on my bed anyway. "Are you sure you're alright? You look rather pale to me." He stroked my cheek, then added, "You have a fever too. I think you might have the flu."

"Dad, can we just go back to sleep now?" When my dad didn't say anything in response, I said, "I'm really tired. Plus, there's school tomorrow."

"Alright," he said, nodding. As he left my room, he turned back around and, with a smirk on his face, he said, "You do realize I'm not letting you go to school tomorrow, right?" I groaned and resisted the urge to throw my pillow at his face.

The next time I woke up, it was sunlight streaming through my windows instead of moonlight. Remembering what my dad had said the night before, I grabbed my phone. Staying home didn't mean I had to fall behind.

"Percy?" I said after I heard Percy groggily murmur a soft _hello_. "I have the flu, and my dad's making me stay home," I said with a sigh. "Could you bring me all my homework? I don't want to fall behind."

"Sure, I'll be there right after school," he said. "So, how are you going to get through a day with no school?" I could almost hear his smirk.

"I don't know," I said with an overly dramatic sigh. "Hopefully, I won't fall behind. That's why I need you to bring me my homework. Now, shouldn't you get to school? You do realize you're already late. I don't think you want any more detention than you already have. You're already stuck in detention until you're fifty."

Percy groaned. "But I can't go to school. I have to come over and take care of you."

"Nice try. You're going to school and getting my homework." After the whole argument about who has to hang up first that pretty much all new couples do, we hung up and I went back to bed.

* * *

"So, what seems to be the problem?"

Four hours after I called Percy, my dad dragged me out of my bed to go to the doctor's. Apparently, he got me an appointment despite my numerous _'It's just the flu'_s. As my dad gave a highly exaggerated version of what had happened last night, making me sound like I was on my deathbed, I felt myself drifting off, dreaming about being back in my room sleeping.

"Annabeth, can you lean forward for me?" the doctor asked, picking up a stethoscope. "Take some deep breaths." I did as he said and waited as he walked over and pressed the stethoscope against my back.

I flinched away as soon as it touched my back. The doctor looked apologetic and said, "Sorry. Is it too cold?"

Shaking my head, I said, "No. It just itches a bit."

Frowning, the doctor peered at my back. "How long have you had this rash?" he asked. When he realized a confused face was the only reply he was getting from me, he said to my dad, "It's probably just the flu. I'll prescribe some medicine and send you off for some blood tests. No worries, it'll be a quick test. The rash is most likely an allergic reaction. It should go away soon. Come back if you don't feel better in around ten days. "

My dad nodded. "She's allergic to tree nuts. I guess that's what caused the rash," he said. He stood up and thanked the doctor. I did the same, and we left, both of us eager to get home.

I didn't know then that I would come back a lot sooner than ten days.

I definitely didn't know then that the appointment would change my life forever.

It was a single phone call that changed my life from pretty decent to a living nightmare. I was curled up on the couch reading when my dad rushed in. I glanced up from my book and almost wished I hadn't. My dad, who barely shed a tear when my mom died, looked like he would start bawling any minute. He looked at me like I was about to die. Almost like I was already dead.

Turns out, I wasn't that far off.

"What's wrong?" I asked him. When he didn't say anything, I asked again. "Dad? What's wrong?" He just stood there, shaking his head. His eyes glistened with tears threatening to fall. "Dad, just tell me what's wrong! Did someone die or something? Come on Dad, you're scaring me!"

He gulped, took a deep breath, and then barely choked out, "We have to go back to the hospital."

* * *

"Mr. Chase, Annabeth, I'm Doctor Solace." A blue-eyed doctor shook hands with both of us and motioned to two seats beside him. We sat down and waited for him to continue.

"I heard you haven't been feeling well lately," he said. I nodded, and he continued. "Your blood tests from earlier today showed that your white blood cell count is a little high, but you are highly anemic. Do you know what anemic means?" I nodded again while my dad shook his head.

"Her red blood cell count is low," he told my dad. "Critically low. We think this could be because of an infection, but we'll have to run some more tests to make sure."

Hours later, I was given a starch white hospital bed and was drifting in and out of an uncomfortable sleep. After what felt like an eternity of x-rays, ultrasounds, fine needle biopsies on some swollen lymph glands, and a couple other tests I've never even heard of, I was exhausted. I never knew before that it was possible for my body to hurt like it did then.

The entire time, my dad was right there, sitting by my bed. He held my hand, mindlessly drawing swirly patterns on it with his thumb. I think he even shed a tear or two. I tried not to let my own tears escape. If they started flowing, I wouldn't be able to stop them.

As I, once again, woke up and was trying to fall asleep again, I heard someone walk into my room. Whoever it was told my dad to wake me up.

"I'm already awake," I said, struggling to sit up.

Doctor Solace walked over to my bed. My dad had a blank expression on his face. I smiled at him, trying to reassure him that I was fine, but his eyes were on the doctor.

"The results of your tests came back. We were hoping it was just an infection, but we knew there could be many other possibilities. I'm afraid the results weren't what we were hoping for." My head bobbed up and down as he spoke and I had a small smile plastered on my face, but inside, I was having a panic attack. One question kept running through my mind.

_What's wrong with me?_

"What is it?" My dad asked the question that I was too scared to ask myself.

_Hurry up_, I nearly screamed at the doctor. I could feel the words itching up my throat, trying to escape. _Hurry up and tell me._

The doctor looked at him sympathetically. "I'm very sorry Mr. Chase. Annabeth, I'm afraid you have lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma."

My dad looked at him blankly, not understanding what that meant. He never had much of an interest in the medical field. And for once, I wish I didn't understand either. But I did.

"Cancer?" I managed to croak out. A single word. Those six letters held so much power. They started my second After. My living nightmare.

Doctor Solace nodded, and I turned to see how my dad was doing. His eyes were like a kaleidoscope, showing a mix of different emotions. Shock. Pain. Sadness. Anger. Fear. He couldn't seem to decide on one.

"What now?" I asked. It was obvious my dad couldn't ask the questions for me this time.

"There are many different types of Non-Hodgkin's. We need to find out exactly which type you have and whether the cancer had spread or not. Once we know all that, we can figure out the best way to treat this."

"This means running more tests, right?" I said with a weak smile.

His voice was practically dripping with sympathy at this point. "I know you've already had far too many tests today, but yes. But you should know, most people with Non-Hodgkin's respond very well to treatment. A nurse will be here in a few minutes to get a cannula in and an IV running."

"Thank you Doctor Solace," I said. I glanced back at my dad. A look of horror was etched across his face. Other than that, he was completely unreactive, sitting like a statue in his seat. As soon as Doctor Solace left, I grabbed my dad's hand again. This seemed to shake him out of his silence, and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close.

"Annabeth…" his voice trailed off, his voice dying out on him. For once, I didn't push him away.

"Dad, I'm fine," I whispered. "Don't worry, the doctor said the type of cancer I have is highly treatable, right? I'll make it out of this fine." My dad nodded, but kept his arms around me anyway.

"Percy!" I suddenly yelled. When I saw that my dad was confused, I explained, "School ended hours ago. Percy was supposed to bring my homework after school."

My dad nodded. "I'll call his mom. Do you want me to tell her what happened?"

"Yes, but I want to tell Percy myself."

Gaping at me, he said, "Are you sure? I can ask Sally to tell him. You don't have to do it if you don't think you can."

I sat up straight, then said firmly, "I can tell Percy."

As I lay in bed, trying to soak in everything that had happened, my dad was standing outside the hospital, tears running down his face. Ignoring the fierce November winds, he took out his phone. He had an important call to make.

"Sally? It's Frederick." he said once he heard a cheery _hello_. Ever since Percy and Annabeth started dating and both of them insisted on meeting the other parent, Sally Jackson and Frederick Chase had become good friends.

The tears came faster and faster. Soon, he couldn't help but start sobbing on the hospital bench. When Sally realized he was crying, she asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"

He brushed away the tears on his face. People walking by were staring, but didn't say anything. He was standing right in front of the hospital after all. "Annabeth!" he cried out. "My baby has a life-threatening illness. She has cancer and there's nothing I can do about it."

A few minutes later, he hung up and came back. By that time the cannula was already in. The first of many tubes the doctors would stick into my body. He told me that Percy was coming soon with his mom and that no one would tell him what had happened except me.

Once my dad left to get some things from home, I started planning how I would tell Percy. Ten minutes later, Percy ran into my hospital room, his already white face even paler than usual. "Annabeth!" he said when he saw me in the hospital bed. "What happened?"

"Percy…" My mind went blank and I couldn't remember anything from my plan. I would have to improvise. For a moment, I wished I had agreed with my dad and just have gotten Percy's mom to tell him.

"I… Well, I…" Percy's eyes were on me, green pools of concern as he waited for my answer. "I really don't know how to tell you this."

"Then tell me when you're ready," he said gently. He pulled something out of his bag and handed it to me. "I brought you your homework. I still haven't done mine yet. We can work on it together if you want."

Percy pulled out two pencils and we got to work. Well, I got to work at least.

"Percy?" I asked for the billionth time. "What's your answer?"

"Huh?"

I sighed. "Your answer to question 23."

He looked confused. One look at his page showed me that, despite the fact that I had been giving him all the answers, he hadn't written a single one down. "Uh, 8?" he asked. I hit him on the back of his head. I didn't hit hard, but Percy glared at me with mock annoyance. "Hey!"

"The answer's Hamlet, Seaweed Brain. The play's name is Hamlet, not 8."

"I knew that." Percy looked down at his blank page. Despite the fact that I had been giving him all the answers, he hadn't written a single one down. Percy grabbed his pencil, finally deciding to write something down. "What's the answer to question one again?"

I looked into his green eyes once again. He had always been there for me. He was my first friend at Goode High, he comforted me when my mom died, and he was the only one who cared enough to get close to me.

I knew I had to tell him.

"Cancer," I said. When Percy wrote down the word beside question one, I said, "No! The answer is _A Lover's Complaint_. Shakespeare didn't even write a poem called _Cancer_."

Percy looked confused. "Then why did you say cancer?" he asked. I glared at him, though I knew it wasn't his fault I wasn't being clear, until realization struck him. "Cancer?" he repeated, his eyes growing wide. "Cancer?" His voice started rising and he stood up abruptly. The chair he was sitting on nearly got knocked over.

"Yeah," I said. I sat up straighter, trying to look confident. I tried to look like someone who could win a battle against a deadly disease. "Cancer."

He closed his eyes and, sitting back down, rocked back and forth in his seat. "Oh god," he whispered to himself. He looked down at his hands and I looked down at my English homework. I couldn't look at him. I couldn't watch him in pain. I was the one that brought the pain to him.

When I finally caved and turned to face him, his head was in his hands and he was shaking. "Percy?" There was no answer. "Are you okay?" He looked up at me. Tears poured freely from his eyes. The concern from before had turned into pain. Percy clung to me, holding me tight, like I was going to disappear any second. I returned his hug, trying to sooth him.

"No… You can't… Not you…" he said, breathless from crying so hard.

"Percy, I'm fine. The doctor said that the type of cancer I have is usually highly treatable. I'll be fine." I repeated what I said to my dad. Percy continued pouring out his shock, his devastation, his grief.

"I can fight this, Percy," I whispered into his ear. "I'll be strong. I'll fight this for you. Me against cancer. I can win this."

Percy gave me a sad, but brave smile. "No. You and me against cancer. _We_ can win this."

People came to visit. Other than Percy and my dad, I had Grover, Thalia, Luke, and all the other friends I made at Goode High since meeting Percy. While everyone around me sobbed their heart out, I put on a brave face, smiling and comforting everyone.

I put on the façade until I was in the darkness alone. With the lights in my hospital room off and my dad and friends gone, I lost the smile on my face. My shoulders sagged down and I curled up in my bed. Clenching onto my pillow like it was the only thing I had, I cried.

"Mom?" I whispered into my pillow. "If you can hear me, help me. Please help me. Mom, I don't know what to do and I'm so scared."

* * *

As I started to wake up, I heard bits of the doctor's conversation with Percy and my dad. "Liver… tumours… central line…" I tried to remember what had happened. "Surgery…" I heard the doctor say.

Right. I had surgery. So that's why I felt so groggy.

I moaned, and the conversation around me stopped. "She's waking up," someone said. When my eyes flickered open, everyone beamed at me.

"Dad? I murmured. "Percy?" I looked around me and noticed I was surrounded by what looked like every machine the hospital owned. IV poles, morphine pumps, heart monitors, and other weird beeping things crowded around me.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty," Percy said. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine," I lied, trying to smile. I felt like I had been run over by a truck. And then maybe a train as well.

"Your surgery went wonderfully," Doctor Solace said. "We successfully removed the tumours that spread to your liver and placed in the central line."

"Okay," I said, closing my eyes. The only thing I wanted at that moment was sleep.

* * *

"Annabeth," Doctor Solace said as he walked into the room the day after my surgery. I looked up from the book I was trying to get Percy to read to see someone come in behind him.

"Hello Annabeth." The person behind Doctor Solace stepped out. "I'm Silena and I'll be your physiotherapist."

"Hi," I said.

Percy just looked at her blankly. "Physio- what?" he asked.

"Physiotherapist," Silena said. "It's nice to meet you two."

"Nice to meet you too," I said.

Chuckling, Silena said, "You'll be regretting ever meeting me in a few minutes. It's important that we keep you moving every day after the surgery, and we're starting today!" She walked up right beside my bed. "I'm going to help you sit up now. If you feel any pain, just tell me. You can take a break, okay?"

I nodded, and Silena slowly started to wind up the back of my bed. I could feel all my wounds from the surgery, but bit my lip and kept going.

"There you go," Silena said when I was finally sitting up straight. "We can take a short break now."

Percy grinned. "You're doing awesome," he said, kissing my forehead.

"Now, we're going to get you to sit at the edge of your bed. Can you go get some shoes for her to put on?" she said to Percy. He started digging through my bag for my slippers. "Just relax," Silena said. She put one arm under my legs and the other on my back and shifted me over so that my legs were dangling off the side of the bed. "Let your feet rest on the floor." I did as she said, tears streaming down my face despite my attempts to hold them in.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked. He put down my slippers by my feet and helped me put them on.

I nodded. "I can keep going," I said.

"We're going to get you to stand up now," Silena said. "What's your name?" she asked Percy.

"Percy Jackson."

"Well Percy, can you go support her on her other side? I'll support her on this side." I wrapped my arms around both their shoulders and, as slowly as they could, they started to hoist me up.

I thought sitting up and moving to the edge of my bed was painful. Standing up gave me a whole new definition of pain.

"You can do it," Percy whispered in my ear. "You're almost there." I didn't even bother trying to stop my tears. My legs were shaking so much that I had to sit back down.

"Let's take a short break," Silena suggested, but I shook my head.

"I can try again," I said.

Percy watched me with concern. "Annabeth, maybe a short break wouldn't be that bad of an idea."

"I'm trying again," I insisted. "If you're not going to help me stand up, then I'll do it on my own." I started to push myself off my bed. Well, I tried to at least.

Silena and Percy immediately rushed to my side. "Stubborn," Percy whispered, but he was smiling as he did.

For 3 seconds, I managed to stand upright before crumbling back down onto my bed.

"I feel so weak," I choked. Percy cupped his hands around my face and used his thumb to wipe off my tears before giving me a quick kiss.

"You're the strongest person I know," he said.

Silena stood there awkwardly, not knowing whether she should break the silence or not. Finally, she said, "We can try again tomorrow if you'd like."

"One more time." I couldn't just lie around in bed all day.

Percy shrugged. "Third time's the charm?"

I breathed in and out, trying to calm myself. For the third time, I wrapped my arms around Percy and Silena as they hoisted me up. The entire time, I felt my legs shaking so badly I needed to sit down, but I ignored the urge to give up.

The entire time, Percy was whispering to me. "You're doing great. Just a little bit more."

My eyes clamped shut in pain. I tried not to pay attention to the throbbing in my legs. When I opened my eyes, I was standing.

_One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven… Eight… Nine… Ten._

I counted in my head. Ten seconds. Eleven seconds. Twelve seconds.

I wasn't falling. I was standing.

"I'm so proud of you," Percy whispered in my ear. That was the only reward I wanted.

* * *

Chemotherapy. I hate that word.

That morning, Percy and my dad kept shoving food at me, insisting that I need my strength. I ate a bit of toast when I realized they weren't stopping until I listened to them. Looks like I'm not the only stubborn ones.

My dad pushed my wheelchair to audiology for my hearing test. After that, it was the day of my diagnosis all over again. Test after test after test. They tested my hearing, they tested my heart, and they tested my heart function. Oh, what fun.

As soon as school ended, Percy rushed to the hospital. I'm glad he did. I would never admit it, but I needed him there. I didn't want to face chemo alone.

A nurse appeared at my door as Percy was telling me what I was missing at school. "Is it time?" I asked. The nurse nodded and dragged in a syringe, anti-nausea drugs, and bags of some type of fluid. On them, there were bright purple stickers with the words _Caution: Cytotoxic_.

The nurse hung the bags of fluid and anti-nausea drugs from the IV pole. "I'm going to connect the chemo to your lines now." Then to my dad, she said, "The first bag will run for maybe about an hour. The second bag will last six. The third, I'm injecting directly into the line."

She turned back to face me. "There will probably be a weird taste in your mouth. Drink some water, it will help. If you feel like you're going to throw up…" she motioned to a bowl beside my bed.

"Be careful not to let her throw up on any of you two. The chemo will be in her bodily fluids. It will be very toxic." My dad and Percy both nodded to show they understood. The three of us watched as the nurse worked.

The life-saving poison started flowing into my body.

It wasn't that bad at first. Percy continued to tell me every bit of the school's gossip. Once I reached the two hour mark though, that all changed.

"Percy," I moaned, curling up on my bed, clutching my stomach.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Annabeth, what's wrong?" Thankfully, my dad was much more observant than Percy was. He grabbed the bowl from beside my bed and held it under my mouth. I started throwing up, tears starting to prick my eyes when I couldn't stop.

Percy finally realized what was happening. He grabbed my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, rubbing my back the entire time. I couldn't help it. I started to cry, my tears mixing with the beads of sweat already adorning my face.

"Keep holding on, Annabeth," Percy said as I lied back down on my bed. "I'm right here with you. You're not fighting this battle alone."

"I was fighting Percy," I said to him, still crying. I clung onto his chest as he stroked my cheek, trying to wipe away my tears. "I was fighting so hard. I was trying to be strong."

"I know." He sat down on my bed beside me. "You're the strongest person I know. I'm proud of you, Annabeth."

* * *

**This one shot was going to be about Percy and Annabeth fighting some type of monster. And that's exactly how it turned out. Cancer is a monster. So many precious lives are taken by this monster. More than any ancient Greek monster could kill. This was based on a friend's battle against Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I tried to add in as much as I could remember (she's been in remission for years now and I'm so thankful), but I know there's a lot that I forgot. For example, the surgery had something to do with her spleen too, but I have no idea what. I did no research, so I apologize for any mistakes.**

**So how was that? I tried not to make it too long, but there was so much stuff to put in this one shot... This is almost 5000 words, making it the longest one shot or chapter I ever posted :)**

**Review! If you still have any suggestions for one shots, tell me in your reviews. I'll try to do as many of the suggestions I get as I can!**


	4. Define Forgiveness

**Fourth one shot! It's March Break, so I figured I might as well write something while I'm not as busy as I usually am. This is probably OOC, especially the part in Annabeth's POV… but this is an AU one shot (like most of the others), so I'm not going to try to change that.**

**And I would LOVE LOVE LOVE it if you read my new one shot, Forever and Always. I was going to post it as "Define Together", but decided to just post it separately.**

**And I know, Percy's supposed to swim. Well, I know nearly nothing about swimming, so he's playing basketball.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Forgiveness (n): the act of giving pardon_

_"Forgetting takes a lifetime and a year. That, you can't expect from me. Forgiving is easier, but still takes time. If you're willing to wait, you deserve my forgiveness."_

* * *

Percy's POV

The crowd was going crazy. The deafening sound made it almost impossible to concentrate.

Percy Jackson was sprinting the length of the court, one hand dribbling the basketball and the other fending off defenders. Dodging several members of the opposing team, he ran up to the net and scored a perfect three-pointer. The final whistle blew, ending the game.

The clapping, stomping, and screaming from the crowds grew even louder. Looking back at his team, he saw hugs, slaps on the back, and their coach lifting up the trophy with a triumphant smile on his face. People swarmed around the golden prize, eager to be the first of their friends to catch a glimpse of it.

Percy was treated almost like the trophy. Everyone crowded around him, shouting out their congratulations. He nodded at all of them while squeezing through the crowds. He needed to get out of there.

Any of Goode High's other male students would have done anything to be Percy Jackson. Freshman year, he led the swim team to its first victory in six years. An year later, he joined the soccer, softball, and basketball team. The next year, he was captain of all three.

And now it was the final year. The one that mattered most. Senior year. And Percy Jackson was at the top of the school.

Surrounded by his sweaty teammates and the cheerleaders in their practically nonexistent skirts, Percy pretended to lap up all the attention. Putting a strained smile onto his face, he ran from the crowds, scanning the bleachers as he searched desperately for one particular face.

It was pointless, he knew. She never came to his games now. But he searched anyway, hoping this game would be different. It was the final game of the season after all.

And there she was. Seven rows from the back, towards the left, squished in between with Thalia and Silena. Thalia gave me a scowl, while Silena was busy cheering for her boyfriend of three months, Charles Beckendorf.

"Annabeth!" Percy cried, trying to yell over the shouting students. "Annabeth!" Waving his hands in the air, he tried to catch her attention.

It worked. Pushing her golden curls from her face, she gave him a feeble smile before pushing her way through the crowds, dragging Thalia along with her. Unlike everyone else, she wasn't heading for the court to awe over the trophy or congratulate the team.

She was headed for the door.

Percy knew he should have been happy. He should have been able to ignore Annabeth. He was popular now after all. She was still, and always would be, the geek.

He tried to enjoy the narcissistic girls like the cheerleaders hanging onto him at that moment. The girls who only wanted to get him in bed, and those who didn't even tried to make it to an actual bed.

He tried to be like the guys who were always comparing all the girls they had dated. The guys who only cared about who had the better jump shot, like the guys surrounding him at that moment.

He tried to be happy. But for some reason, he wasn't. As Annabeth left the gym, he had never felt more depressed.

* * *

"Are you going to stay?"

Percy looked up to see the coach staring at him questioningly. It was only then that he realized that his teammates were gone. He could have sworn they had been there five seconds ago, showering while yelling about their victory.

"Yeah. Uh, you know. Last game and stuff. Last time playing basketball for Goode High," he rambled on, trying to come up with a good excuse. "Is it okay with you?"

"It's fine with me. I'm leaving now, alright?" Percy nodded, and watched while the coach left.

Once he was alone, he ran back to the gym. The crowds had gone now, and though the lights were off, sunlight still streamed in through the windows.

Grabbing a ball from the ground, he shot it at the net, only to hit the backboard, miss the net, and have the ball bounce right back at him, hitting him in the face. Groaning, he shot it again. This time, he missed completely. Percy lunged at the ball, trying to catch the rebound, failing miserably.

As he was chasing the ball around the gym, he heard footsteps approach, echoing through the empty gym. "Sorry coach, I know I shouldn't be in here." Giving up on catching the basketball, he added, "I'll go now."

"Hey Percy."

He spun around, instantly recognizing the voice. The ends of her lips were curved upwards in a somewhat amused, but still cautious, smile. Annabeth. This was his chance to make things right.

Staring into her stormy grey eyes, he lost track of time. He didn't even notice she was waiting for a response until she spoke. "Right. You don't talk to nobodies like me anymore. Sorry, I'll be going now."

Suddenly, Percy saw his chance slipping away from him. "No, Annabeth! Wait!" Running frantically, he chased her into the hallway. Jumping in front of her to stop her from leaving, he said, "Annabeth, we're best friends. We're dating! You're my girlfriend and I'm-"

"Used to be," Annabeth said, cutting me off. "We used to be best friends and we used to be dating until you completely forgot I even existed. She tried to swerve around me, but Percy stepped to the side, blocking her way.

"I never forgot. I've just been busy lately," Percy pleaded with her.

Her grey eyes darkened, and her hands were clenched into fists. Her entire body started shaking with hatred. Percy watched as she struggled to contain her anger. Eventually, she gave up. "For two whole years? You… You fucking jerk!" Her hand flew at his face, leaving his cheek stinging.

Annabeth sighed, this time more successful in her attempt to calm herself. "Percy, you once said to me that you hate how our school is. How most schools are. You said you hate how the popular students act. That you hate how popular students and unpopular students can't be friends. How that's not changing." The calmness in her voice was starting to get overpowered by her anger. "And then, you go and make yourself popular and you became everything that you hated!" she screamed in his face.

Grabbing her hands, Percy said, "Annabeth, I'm still me. I haven't changed."

Annabeth glared, than shoved past him, heading for the exit. "I get it. Being popular is important to you. It's important to this whole damn school," she said, throwing her hands up in the air. As her hands fell back to her side, she stopped walking, but didn't turn back around. "I just thought our friendship was stronger than that. I thought it was stronger than popularity. I thought it actually meant something to you. I guess I was wrong. Goodbye Percy."

Without that, she left, leaving him staring at the doors of the school. Popularity had taken away his best friend and true love.

* * *

Annabeth's POV

As she neared his house, doubts started to fill her mind.

Annabeth, despite how much she hated Percy for ignoring her for so long, knew it was partially her fault as well. Ever since Percy started ignoring her, she only avoided him, making no effort to try to remain his girlfriend.

She was on her way to apologize. But what if he hates me now? What if he's mad about what I said last night?

Ignoring her fears, she pressed the doorbell, wincing at its shrill sound.

Thankfully, it wasn't Percy that got the door. It gave her a few more minutes to prepare. "Annabeth!" She found herself immediately wrapped into a firm, but somehow still gentle, hug. She looked up into the bright eyes of Sally Jackson. "Percy's upstairs in his room," she said.

With a quick nod to show her thanks, Annabeth climbed the stairs and strode down the hallway to the right, taking the too familiar route she had taken a countless number of times when she and Percy were still close.

She knocked twice on the door. "Come in," she heard him say. Cautiously, Annabeth opened the door and found herself face to face with her fear. Percy Jackson.

He looked surprised to see her there, but didn't object when she sat down on a chair opposite to his bed, where he was laying down. Quickly, he sat up, trying to brush his hair through the dark tangles in his hair. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, a nervous habit Annabeth had picked up from him.

"Hey Annabeth," he said as she sat down.

Sitting down, she looked at him straight in the eyes. "We need to talk."

"Getting straight to the point, huh?" Percy said with a nervous laugh.

"Percy, I know I've been blaming you for everything that happened," Annabeth said, "but I know all this was partially my fault. I could have called, emailed, texted, anything! But I didn't. I ignored you as much as you ignored me." Annabeth knew what she had do say next. This was the moment she had been planning for. Looking down at her hands, she whispered, "I'm sorry for everything."

When she didn't hear Percy say anything, she continued. Pouring her heart out was never an easy thing for Annabeth, but at the moment, it came naturally. "It's just… It hurt. I missed you, but you never paid any attention to me. You were always busy with sports, Friday night parties, or anything not involving me and it hurt. I guess I just couldn't admit it."

Percy said nothing. Annabeth didn't blame him after what she had just said.

"The past two years, it's been like…" Annabeth trailed off as I tried to think of a good comparison. "I feel like I've just shoved all the hurt I felt in a box that I sealed shut so tightly no one else could see what was inside. I didn't want anyone else to see my pain, anger, or regrets. Every time I saw you though, the box opened, just a bit, and I could feel everything I'd been keeping sealed up. I felt like my heart was being ripped from my body and getting torn to pieces. I couldn't stand it and tried harder than ever to avoid you. But a box can only hold so much. Too much emotion built up over the years, and last night, the box just burst open. I'm sorry I snapped at you."

She paused before she spoke again. "Percy…" She hesitated before asking the question that had been bothering her the past two years. Annabeth Chase was not a girl with trust issues. She just needed to hear him say those three special words after not hearing them for so long. Taking a deep breath, trying to muster up some confidence, she asked, "Do you still love me?"

Hearing nothing in response, she let her eyes slowly wander from her hands to Percy's face. A big goofy grin was taking up half his face and his green eyes weren't on her grey ones. They were staring at something behind her head.

Annabeth couldn't help herself. Her head whipped around, wondering what he could be staring at that was making him that happy. The only thing behind her it could have been was the wall, a small table, and a framed photo of Percy and Rachel laughing their heads off with their arms wrapped around each other.

Anger blazing inside of her, she turned back to him. "Percy? Are you listening to me?" His facial expression didn't change. He was still staring at the photo. "Just answer my question!" she yelled. That seemed to shake him out of his stupor.

He blinked a few times, the smile vanishing from his lips. "Huh?"

Taking one look at his confused face, she stood up. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes and it took all her strength to not fall to the ground sobbing. "I guess that answers my question." With those final words, she turned around, heading for the door, praying he would try to stop her. Run up to her, give her a kiss, then tell her everything would be alright and that he loved her.

He didn't. He let her leave. And that hurt more than every excruciating moment without Percy the past two years combined.

Annabeth raced out of his room, slamming the door shut behind her. Her tears were starting to blur her vision, making the world around her turn into a blur of colours. She couldn't cry though. Not yet at least. Blinking them back, she headed for the stairs. All she wanted was to get away from him.

Sally Jackson looked up from her book when she heard the thudding of Annabeth running down the stairs. She was about to just give Annabeth a smile and go back to her book when she saw the distraught look on the young girl's face.

"Annabeth?" she asked. "Are you alright?"

Annabeth gave her a quick nod, turning away so Percy's mother couldn't see her face. Without another word, she swung the front door open and started sprinting down the street.

People passing by gave her strange looks, but no one bothered to stop her. Even if they had tried, they couldn't have, as Annabeth was running faster than she had every run in her entire life. The wind whipped at her face as she ran, stinging her eyes and making it harder to contain her tears. Her legs ached from exhaustion, and she felt like she was going to collapse.

She couldn't feel the pain in her legs though. It was nothing compared to the grief that consumed her.

When she reached her house, her dad was already there, waiting for her.

"Annabeth? What happened?" he asked his daughter with concern. It wasn't everyday that his daughter burst into the house, nearly knocking down their door, looking like she was going to cry, strangle somebody, or do both. The girl in front of him looked too broken to be his brave, independent daughter.

Not knowing what else to do, Annabeth stood still, trying to come up with an excuse for her actions. "Hi dad," she said meekly. "I'm just going to go to my room." Choosing to ignore his question, she walked away, knowing her dad wouldn't follow. Her father cared about her, and Annabeth knew that. He never did well in situations like this though. He could never handle tears and heartbreaks.

Closing her door, she started gasping for breath. She couldn't breathe. Breathing hurt.

Everything hurt.

For the very first time since she left Percy's house, Annabeth let a single tear fall.

* * *

The shrill ringing of the doorbell made Annabeth look up from her homework for the first time in two hours. She figured distracting herself was the best way to deal with this. No more Percy means no more heartbreak.

"Mr. Chase?" she heard a familiar voice say as her dad opened the door. "Is Annabeth here?"

Shaking her head, Annabeth whispered to herself, "Oh god, no… what does he think he's doing?" She stood up, forgetting about her original plan to ignore him, and leaned over the stairs where she had a perfect view of the front door.

Mr. Chase gave a quick glance at the top of the stairs, where he knew his daughter would be listening. She frantically shook her head, mouthing the word _NO_ to emphasize her point.

"She's not home," he said, finally realizing what had made Annabeth so upset before. "Goodbye." He started to close the door when Percy put out a hand to stop him.

"I made a mistake, Mr. Chase," Percy said. "And I feel horrible about it. I never want to let it happen again. Could you tell Annabeth to call me later when she has time? I have something I need to tell her."

Annabeth's father gave a quick nod. The boy in front of him used to be like his own son. Now, he was the boy who hurt his daughter. Frederick Chase didn't know what to think of him. "I will, Percy." When he looked back at the top of the stairs, his daughter was gone.

* * *

Walking briskly through the halls, Annabeth resisted the urge to start sprinting. Though no one cared much for the 'No running in the halls' rule, she still obeyed.

But at that moment, she was desperate to get to class before Percy spotted her. Almost desperate enough to run in the halls.

"Annabeth!" a voice called out somewhere behind her in the mob of students. Groaning, Annabeth picked up her pace, so that she was nearly galloping. "Wait! Annabeth!" he kept calling.

Getting frustrated, she spun around. "What?" she said angrily. Trying not to yell, as she didn't want the entire school hearing their conversation, she added, "You want to rub it in my face that you broke me? That you broke Annabeth Chase, the girl no one could get close to. That you got close to me and you broke me?" She was starting to yell, but didn't care about the students gathering around them at the moment.

"Well guess what, Percy. It hurt. I'm not going to lie, it did. You broke me two years ago, and I'm still piecing myself back together. I'm not going to let you break me a second time."

As Annabeth ran away, her own words running through her mind, she nearly slapped herself for saying what she did. She was supposed to be strong and independent. She wasn't supposed to admit that Percy tore her to pieces.

"Annabeth!" he yelled, starting to chase her. He grabbed her shoulder, trying to slow her down.

She shook off his grip. "Leave me alone," she whispered. "I don't need you anymore."

"Annabeth, please forgive me," Percy begged. "I love you. I love you so much that I couldn't possibly even imagine life without you. The past two years, all I wanted was you. Not basketball, not cheerleaders, not popularity. It hurt me too, not having you with me and knowing it was all my fault. It killed me to see you upset, and knowing I was the one that hurt you. I'm a jerk, and I know it. But I wanted you. What am I saying, I _still_ want you! Please, Annabeth. Can you try to forgive and forget?"

Annabeth sighed. She saw the desperate look on Percy's face and the look on all the students' faces. Most of them were shocked. The most popular guy in school was confessing his love for the school's nerd.

Choosing her words carefully, she said, "Forgetting takes a lifetime and a year. That, you can't expect from me. No matter how long I try and you wait, it's not happening. I'll never forget what you put me through. Forgiving is easier, but still takes time. If you're willing to wait, then I know you deserve my forgiveness."

And with that, she walked away, leaving behind an awestruck crowd of students and Percy Jackson, the boy she loved.

* * *

**I was going to make them get back together. I was going to write a whole scene where Annabeth forgives Percy and they're dating again. But you realize how unrealistic that would be. He ignored her for two years. It'll take time for her to forgive.**

**I tried not to make this one shot too long and boring… I don't think I was very successful. Oh well.**

**Review? :)**


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